


Guide

by ChrisBranNorling



Series: Guild Wars 2 Stories [9]
Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Fade to Black, Gen, Male Presenting Character, Nonbinary Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:31:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10873983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisBranNorling/pseuds/ChrisBranNorling
Summary: The meeting of two vastly different cultures.1327 AE





	Guide

**Author's Note:**

> I briefly had a sylvari elementalist named Eadrom. He was only able to manipulate the element of earth, and was an accomplished gardener in the Grove. But he felt unsatisfied with that and moved to Divinity's Reach, enrolling in a school for architecture.

“You needed me, Centurion?” Haranuuwah tenses into a salute, holding it as his eyes find a sylvari standing at his centurion’s side.

“It should be Iron’s job, but the Legion’s played roulette with this one and Blood lost.” Centurion Crimshard jerks her thumb towards the sylvari. “Show this one to a building, architecture or something. Bah.” She rumbles before leaving.

Relaxing, Haranuuwah blinks, looking at his new charge. Bookish, is the first thing he can think of to describe him. Glasses sit on his nose, doing nothing to hide his inquisitive peachy gaze as he looks back at Haranuuwah, a clipboard tucked under his arm.

“Gardener Eadrom, at your service.” He says, voice deep enough for Haranuuwah to almost get jealous, and holds out a hand to shake. How human.

“No, I’m at your’s. Legionnaire Haranuuwah Dustfur, Dust Warband.” He takes Eadrom’s hand in his claws, cautiously shaking it. The tips of the gardener’s fingers that poke out of his gloves are the same harsh peach leafy skin that makes up his face.

The smile his introduction garners makes something heavy settle in Haranuuwah’s stomach, and he clears his throat, withdrawing his hand. “What do you need me to do?”

“I would like it very much if you could show me different buildings in your city.” He holds out his clipboard, the parchment attached to it holding what could be an ink outline of the Imperator’s Core. “I’m a student at the School of Architecture and Design in Divinity’s Reach, and felt like I needed some new input for my project.”

“Charr prioritize function over form, things built to work and last. Nothing for you to get your leaves excited over.” He walks away, Eadrom’s soft footfalls behind him.

“That’s exactly why, as you say, my leaves are excited. Sylvari and asuran buildings are transient. They require constant upkeep for their continued use. Human and norn structures are simplistic, only varying in grandiosity and design. Charr are unique in that respect” Haranuuwah hears him take in a breath. “A charr city would survive a fire, yes there would be some damage, but the population would fall back into normalcy the next day.”

Stopping, Haranuuwah points up at the unobstructed view of the Core, and sits down. Eadrom smiles, plopping next to him, the closeness not uncomfortable, and sets about defining his sketch.

“If humans were to live here,” Haranuuwah starts after a few minutes of silence, “they wouldn’t be able to start the next day.”

Holding a ruler up to measure some small aspect of the Core, Eadrom hums and exchanges it for his quill. An inkwell wobbles precariously on his knee. “That’s a cultural difference.”

 

Eadrom rolls up his last piece of parchment, stuffing it into an overflowing bag of used scrolls, and gets up, stretching. Haranuuwah only tears his eyes away from the sliver of peach that gets revealed when the other lets his arms back down. He rubs the ink stain on his claws self-consciously, focusing on a stain from the same well of ink on the gardener’s pant leg.

“Thank you for today.” His voice murmurs above Haranuuwah. Looking up at his face, Haranuuwah traces lines of soft glow for a moment before taking the proffered hand, making sure not to let the sylvari take most of his weight. “Though I apologize for the lateness, I hope I did not intrude too much on your schedule.”

Shifting his feet, Haranuuwah lets his claws graze against the steel ground. “You didn’t.”

“Are you sure? You were ordered to do this.” Eadrom loosens his grip on the Haranuuwah’s hand, though doesn’t retract his fingers fully.

Looking down, Haranuuwah shakes his head. “My centurion would have been satisfied if I had only stayed with you for an hour.” One of his claws rubs against the cloth of Eadrom’s glove.

“This was voluntary, then?”

Hearing a note of anticipation, Haranuuwah chuckles. “Guess I have to be the one to ask if you want to stay the night ?”

“Seeing as I don’t live here, I suppose you must.” Eadrom renews his grip as Haranuuwah leads him to Gladium Canton.


End file.
